Aquael Internal Aquarium Filters

[moochy13]

im looking to upgrade my smaller tank, and theres a good deal at an LFS on an Aquael bowfront tank. the only thing im unsure about is the quality of the filter. they certainly look good, and seem to disassemble very nicely for maintenance, just wondering if anybody has used them ?

if they're good, im also interested in knowing if they're quiet, as i'll put one in my main tank as the juwel filter i have is a pain in the #14### to maintain as its bodged into the tank. now obviously, im looking at these because they're cheap. id like an external, but not only are they quite big, i cant imagine they're quiet enough to go in my bedroom. also the external for my size tank is much more expensive than the equivelant internal filter. heres what im considering for my main 140L tank

My link

thats the cheapest one id get, however its only sponges. the one below is far more than i need for my tank, but it has bio rings, and my tank is a bit overstocked.

My link

they also do one with inbuilt UV. whether its any good or not i dont know. again, it has no bio rings, but the output is more than enough again. they do one with UV and bio rings, but that seems like massive overkill for my tank. im not even fussed about UV unless somebody tells me its the best thing in the world.

My link

those are the 3 options from the range they do that im interested in, providing they are quiet. im hoping they're ok, i cant think of much that can go wrong with a plastic case with sponge and a small impeller in.

alternatively, if somebody can suggest a whisper quiet, small, cheap external big enough for my tank, im all ears.

 

[CletePurcel]

I got the presumably cheaper Aquael Fan 3 Plus internal filter with a tank kit (700 litres/hour). It was quiet when I started using it a few days ago, but now it is quite noisy (basically humming). It is also quite primitive (only has one big sponge and the venturi air supply is basically supplied by a tube which hangs over the back of the tank with an adjustable nozzle.

I also have a Fluval U2 in my other tank which is far superior in terms of noise and design. I am definitely replacing the Aquael filter with an external, but if I were to get an internal I would probably go for a Fluval U3 or U4 I think (the U4 is only £32 at the moment).

The Aquael tank is great value, but in my case the filter lets the kit down. The Aquael filters you mention might well be better.

I posted a mini-review of the tank a few days ago when I set it up:
http/myaquariumlog.blogspot.com/2011/03/quick-review-of-aquael-classic-100.html

 

[moochy13]

my friend has a fluval U3 and its been nothing but hassle, its noisy, bulky, ugly and his is very tempermental. i know its probably a rarity, but even when it works he doesnt like it. he wishes hed never got rid of the juwel internal, which is what he gave to me that im now trying to swap out

these aquaels i linked to have 2 seperate sponges, as well as the bio balls in the bigger filter. the venturi is of no interest to me, the venturi pipe on my juwel makes too much noise to be able to have it in my room.

just looked at your blog, that filter is different to the oens i linked to, so hopefully the seperate ones would be a bit better. however i'll probably stick with it in the new tank, at least to give it a chance. the ones i linked to certainly look like the next 'step up' the product ladder.

cheers

 

[moochy13]

well, my dad just brought the aquael tank home. the tank is here because the light on the juwel tank has gone, and i cant seem to get at the ballast without tearing chunks out of the lid. with a new lid coming in at 50 quid + postage, this tank was 90-odd quid i think on offer at the lfs.

took the filter apart to investigate, it certainly is a bit primitive and not a patch on the juwel, but its got an impeller, a sponge and an adjustable outlet, so not much to go wrong. will be interesting to see if it gets noisy like yours did. for now, im impressed with it. ive put it in the tank to run side by side with the juwel filter, and the adjustment of the flow is very effective. being only a small tank, i only want enough flow just to pull the water through the filter, rather than blowing the fish about the tank. the venturi seems a bit of an afterthought, but it wont be being used anyway. i do like how easy it is to take apart and clean, far better than the juwel in that respect i think.

im seriously considering one of their mroe expensive internals now, probably the UV equipped bio ring one. just need to know if its short enough to fit in my tank.

 

[CletePurcel]

Good luck with it. The flow on mine is good, but the noise is now too much.

My U2 is quiet as a mouse.

 

[moochy13]

ive just cleaned my juwel filter out, and it was the most disgusting thing ive seen in ages. and its lots of hassle as its a bodge. i think im going to go and get one of the internals from the shop later, not sure whether to go for the UV equipped one or not, deffo want a bioring capable one though.

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

my u3 is silent aswell

 

[slakey]

I've got the Aqua El Econoline 70 Rectangle and before even setting the tank up I bought a Eheim Classic 2213 for it. The Classic 2213 isn't all that big and is very quiet as I have it in my bedroom, isn't all that expensive either.

I do sometimes put the Aqua El filter in, but only when the water goes cloudy, i.e after turning the sand, putting plants in, just so it clears quicker.

But for the few days it was up and running it wasn't all that quiet, but I did have the venturi fully open so that was making a fair bit of noise.

But it's your choice.

 

[moochy13]

hmmm now im not sure. i like the idea of an external, but its more money than i wanted to spend. though i am starting to lean towards it. i found a place doing it for 55 quid with this :

The "+" model comes complete with filter media (Ehfimech and Ehfisubstrate), hoses, taps, and fittings etc and are ready to set up and run.

the ehfimech and ehfisubstrate, are they just fancy names for sponges and biomedia ?

it is tempting, but over twice as much the what i intended on spending. is it easy to clean ? do the taps enable me to take the filter away from the tank without water going everywhere? i red about externals being 'primed'. what is this, and will the taps mean i dont have to do it all the time ?